Alabama football rankings: Where did Crimson Tide fall in top 25 after loss to Texas?
This story has been updated from a previous version.
College football rankings are a fickle thing. One week you're up and the next you're down. Such is the mercurial nature of any ranking system determined by voters.
Alabama football found that out firsthand following its Week 2 loss to Texas in Tuscaloosa: The Crimson Tide, who entered the nonconference matchup ranked No. 3 in the nation, saw a drop in the rankings following their 34-24 defeat to No. 10 Texas. Likewise, the Longhorns enjoyed a nice boost in both the Week 3 U.S. LBM Coaches Poll and AP Top 25.
REQUIRED READING: Grading Alabama football: Does loss to Texas send Tide to the back of the class?
Quarterback Jalen Milroe was quickly brought down to earth, completing 14 of 27 passes for 255 yards and two touchdowns to two interceptions. The defense gave up numerous big plays to Texas counterpart Quinn Ewers, including touchdown passes of 44 and 39 yards, respectively.
Considering the several mistakes it experienced in the loss, how far did Alabama fall in the U.S. LBM and AP Top 25 rankings in Week 3? We break it down:
Alabama football rankings: Where did Crimson Tide fall in top 25?
Update: Alabama fell to No. 10 in the Coaches Poll, one spot ahead of No. 11 Notre Dame. The Fighting Irish remained pat in the standings despite beating NC State 45-24 in Raleigh.
The Crimson Tide almost certainly will not be a ranked in the top 10 when the Coaches and AP polls are released on Sunday, if for no other reason than the fact no other top-10 team lost in Week 2. Here's a breakdown of how the rest of the Tide's present company fared in Week 2:
No. 1 Georgia: 45-3 win over Ball State
No. 3 Alabama: 34-24 loss to No. 10 Texas
No. 4 Ohio State: 35-7 win over Youngstown State
No. 5 Florida State: vs. Southern Miss
No. 6 USC: vs. Stanford
No. 7 Penn State: 63-7 win over Delaware
No. 8 Washington: 43-10 win over Tulsa
No. 9 Tennessee: 30-13 win over Austin Peay
No. 10 Texas: 34-24 win over No. 3 Alabama
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Indeed, the next lowest-ranked team to lose in Week 2 at the time of Alabama's defeat was No. 22 Tulane. It's highly unlikely the Crimson Tide fall that low: Alabama's drop in the rankings likely will be mitigated by unimpressive wins by No. 9 Tennessee and No. 12 Utah against Austin Peay and Baylor, respectively.
Either way, there's plenty of room for growth for Alabama moving forward — both in the college football rankings, and as a team.
Final ranking prediction: No. 11
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Alabama football rankings: Where did loss to Texas drop Crimson Tide?
